This invention relates to apparatus for manually cutting strips and rectangular sections of material from a continuous or discrete web of paper, plastic, or other sheet material. It is known to have extraordinary utility for cutting gel and will be described in that context.
Gel material used to color and modify lighting on movie and stage sets, for example, is available in a multitude of colors and is shipped on three and four foot rolls. Lighting technicians traditionally cut the gel material from the rolls using a razor and straight edge or other common hand tools. This procedure is laborious, time-consuming, inaccurate and wasteful of the sheet material being cut. Some sheet materials, such as gel, with which the invention may be used are very costly, and waste thereof is desired to be avoided.
It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus for cutting gel and other sheet materials which is easy and rapid in use, and precise and accurate in operation.
It is another object to provide such apparatus which is highly versatile, being capable of cutting long strips or discrete sections from a continuous web of material, or for cutting smaller sections from a larger section of loose sheet material.
It is yet another object to provide such apparatus which is rugged and reliable.